So I went to the Grapevine last night to meet up with my friend Jon like planned. No one that might have read the previous post stopped by to say hello, but the evening was not without fun random encounters. Jon brought along his friend Chelsea, who I was able to make random connections to…she happened to have been in a few of my classes at UNT, and she used to worked with my brother. She’s here in town for a while between her globetrotting. She’s what you call a “professional pioneer.” We all settled down at a table on the patio and allowed the night to unfold.

Our first table guest was a guy who was handing out flyers for a new pizza joint on McKinney Ave, called Campania Pizza and More. At first he seemed a bit like a missionary for cheese, making sure to go through the menus he handed us and explain why each item was better than the next. We vouched that we’d sometime have to try this new place out, per his persistence and enthusiasm, and then he was off to spread the word. I’m guessing when his menus were exhausted, he returned to our table with his friend, an official Bali’s fitness instructor. Together they were quite the powerhouse of energy. At first the conversation continued a bit with the topic of this new pizza joint, and departed somewhere between discussing a well-endowed cop showering at Bali’s, and proving just how good a sub sandwich is by gesturing it crammed into a place where the sun don’t shine. I think I might have to try one of those subs.

We all sat in the cold, drinking, smoking, talking, and laughing. Our laughter seemed to be contagious, and soon we found that more and more people had started finding their way to the patio. Things were starting to warm up with more people around. Soon we were joined by another warm body

Today is the first day that normal people can get flu shots through Dallas County. Although I am high risk, up until now I was not willing to do a re-play of last year – waiting in a HUGE line at Tom Thumb with tons of old folks. I did not know that yesterday was the last day for high risk until yesterday afternoon, so my only option before getting on a plane was to go early this morning to the Dallas County Health and Human Services Building off Stemmons Freeway. I got there at 7:15 and there were only three other people there waiting. Once they let us in (yes, they will make you wait outside in the cold) at 7:45, I filled out the sheet, paid the $20 and went back to where they told me to go. I was the first person to get a shot (not all the people waiting outside were there for the shot) and out the door before 8am.

If you want a flu shot get it now before the media gets everyone stirred up. There was one news station there this morning. Never saw the reporter, just the van and equipment. And if you are going here, go early – it worked out great.

This isn’t a highly original topic for this Blog, but I guarantee it will prompt a lot of interesting responses.

My favorite pizza in Dallas is at Louie’s on Henderson, a tolerable place to eat now that smoking is banned in this media Mecca. A close second is The Elbow Room on Gaston, in the shadow of Baylor School of Dentistry, where the pizza, jukebox and everything else on the menu is fantastic.

The best take out pizza is from Marco’s on the southeast corner of Preston and Royal (214-363-6122) in the heinous strip mall that also hosts Border’s. It’s take out only and cash only. The salads are great at all three places, too.

I’m amazed at the number of people who haven’t eaten at Louie’s, The Elbow Room or Marco’s. Of course you have to love thin crust pizza, and dank, dark, reasonably priced, hole-in-the-wall joints. If you like Cafe Express, you won’t like these three places.

So, where else is the pizza, salad and people watching without parallel?

I was discussing halloween costumes with a co-worker and how I may have to resurect (once again) the Dorothy costume for some parties that I will be attending. He mentioned the red glitter shoes that I have for this costume – and how they would be perfect for a date. Normal outfit, but with the ruby slippers, and if things aren’t going well, I simply click my heels three times and say “There’s no place like home, there’s no place like home, there’s no place like home.” All at once I will be transported home, magically changed into comfortable clothes, and in the company of a feline who has been anxiously awaiting my return so that she may have the pleasure of laying next to me, and lulling me to sleep with her purring.

Here’s the start of a new series of posts…”the eavesdroppings.” Everyone seems to ask the same questions about what to do here in Dallas, and we all answer them differently, depending on our motives.

While chatting with my friend Jon today, it got me thinking about making this series of posts via interviews with various people in and around Dallas looking for things to do. I mean who doesn’t like peeking into other people’s conversations in that reality entertainment, voyer whore sort of way. So I decided to ask him a few questions about his plight in being a single Dallas-ite, and how he fills his time. I barely get to hang out with him, but by the end of the conversation we had scheduled a time to hang out, with the open invitation to have anyone that reads this come by and say hello.

SO 9 pm, this Monday at the Grapevine (3902 Maple Ave – corner of Maple and Oak Lawn) we’ll be doing something rather than wondering why we’re doing nothing. Come by. Say hello…you just might be the next to get interviewed for an upcoming Eavesdropping.

Also feel free to contact either Jon or myself on AIM. Our buddy names can be found in our conversation…we ain’t shy.

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dotcomtaken

: do you feel that every time you go out you are on "the lookout" for someone to date?

s0apstarj0e

: The "lookout" is always in the back of my mind. First and foremost I go out to be around my friends that live in Dallas. Bars are filled with hunters and game, so you know, I think all of us keep our eyes open for someone to shoot and mount on our wall.

I was watching the national news (I think it was NBC, and I think it was also last night) and they aired a story about how there is currently a class action lawsuit against the people that were in charge of the pumping stations in New Orleans during hurricane Katrina – citing that if these people had stayed and manned the stations, most, if not all of the disaster, could have been avoided. In other words, these few people should have stayed there, even if it meant they would die, just so property could be spared.

There was no mention (in the report) of the lives that were lost and could have been saved. It seemed like it was purely about property damage – “things” that can be replaced. Maybe not easily, but they can be replaced. Lives cannot. How selfish these people are to look around at what is left of their once flooded homes and declare that the men running the pumping stations should have given their lives so that they would have less of a mess to come home to. I have not seen the lawsuit but the report interpreted it to be blaming the hurricane itself. The damage was not caused by the hurricane – the damage (as we all know now) was caused by the breeches in the levee system, which allowed New Orleans to flood. Regardless of whether or not these people stayed, I doubt the whole area could have been saved by the existing pumping system.

Why must there be people to blame? Why did the group feel compelled to look for pockets of money to ease their pain? Has it not occured to them that other people there are in just as much pain, but dealing with the situation without running out to find someone to sue? Although Katrina is definitely a “natural disaster” I am not sure how to refer to the flooding – result of the “natural disaster?” Either way, these things are not called “natural disasters” for nothing. They are bad. If they were nice, they would be called something else. No need to get all litigious.

I have to say that the highlight of my Dallas experience was the Flying Saucer Draught Emporium just off Sundance Square in downtown Fort Worth. With 74 beers on tap and another 200+ available in bottles and cans, this is the beer drinker’s paradise. Couple that with $2.50 pints on Mondays, and Wednesday night “beer glass night” and you have heaven. Did I mention Heaven comes complete with free WiFi? Ask the bartender for the WEP key and you’re good to go. I spent many a happy evening there last week, with great food and good beer, how can ya go wrong?

Besides, who needs an excuse to look at lovely barmaids in short, pleated skirts?

I got home yesterday to find a note on my door about participating in trick-or-treating on halloween. Ummmm… no. No I will not. It has yet to be seen if this year we are all dogged with stories about how the grown ups are out doing their own thing while the kids are left (or I should say dropped off – this seems to be the big trend these days… you may have few to no children in your neighborhood, but come halloween, you would think that every person around must have at least two that they are hiding in the closet because this will be first time you see them and it will seem as if you are not careful a few might come crawling out of the wood work of your home as well) to roam sparsely lit neighborhoods, begging for candy. Maybe I will feel differently when I have kids, but then again, maybe I will just take them to a costume party or other halloween event with other children. Maybe I will just tell them that they don’t need the cavities and that the holiday celebrates satan. I don’t have too many memories of halloween other than the one from my freshman year in high school when I was working on a poster for biology and the damn door bell kept ringing (yes, we lived in one of those neighborhoods). Back then people were still doing what was customary. Now, they just say “screw it” and turn off the porch light, opting for what ever is on tv. For me, I’ll be at the gym.

Can’t think of much else to contribute except that I have been going to The Texas State Fair for exactly 20 years and have only missed one year.

The last two weekends are notoriously more pleasant (cooler and less crowded) than the first two. And if you can swing going during the week, either during the day or the evening, you find it downright hospitable.

The whole event seems to be a large lead-up to the TEXAS versus university of oklahoma game, and then it all slides downhill from there. But in a good way. Especially when TEXAS wins.

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